Jason Whitlock Claims Mike Tomlin Isn’t Criticized Because He’s Black

If the headline doesn’t grab your attention, I don’t know what will.

That is what Jason Whitlock of FOX Sports was counting on, when he claimed that people are afraid to criticize Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin:

Mike Tomlin is the most coddled coach, perhaps in the history of professional sports… Because he’s black…

Mike Tomlin is doing stupid things. He needs to be reigned in and criticized and treated like every other coach in the National Football League… He is not above reproach and his team and assistant coaches, out of control on Saturday, and then comes out after the game and says I thought we represented what AFC North football is all about. That’s a joke. He’s clueless and that’s why his assistant coaches and players are clueless.”

Mr. Whitlock: Do you truly believe what you’re saying, or are you piggybacking on the controversial game from almost one week ago?

I’d say it’s a bit of both.

This is not the first time that Whitlock has made insensitive racial comments, even against his own culture. After leaving ESPN, Whitlock called a former co-worker Robert Jackson “an insult to black intelligence.” (Jackson, like Whitlock, is also an African-American.) Whitlock also took to Twitter, making an insensitive Tweet about then New York Knick Jeremy Lin, which he later had to apologize for.

This could be another one of those situations, as Whitlock has apparently never been around an NFL franchise after a loss. Even with the resume that Mike Tomlin has, he has been far from criticism in the Steel City. So much so that a Twitter hashtag #FireTomlin surfaces after every controversial approach he takes with the team, be it another coach’s decision, or the team, who should be taking the blame:

https://twitter.com/Steel_Curtain4/status/687698996106792960

Then again, Whitlock claims that Tomlin’s “assistant coaches and players are clueless” to which I present the words of Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther:

No Christmas cards will be exchanged between #Bengals, Joey Porter. DC Paul Guenther: "Porter an embarrassment to the coaching profession."

— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) January 11, 2016

Is Porter more clueless than a coach who allowed his players enter the field when not substituting (to throw shove/punch an opponent) go after an assistant coach (Joey Porter) or bump a game official?

You can view Whitlock’s full interview below. In the clip, Whitlock also claims it’s unfair that Marvin Lewis takes a lot of criticism while Tomlin does not.

Perhaps Lewis’ 0-7 playoff record compared with Tomlin never having less than a .500 season, as well as appearing in 2 Super Bowls, winning 1 of them, has something to do about that: not the color of his skin.